Can Kinesio taping improve discomfort after mandibular third molar surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether Kinesio taping (KT) can improve patient discomfort after mandibular third molar surgery. Materials and methods This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the PICO strategy. We searched 4 databases for related articles. All controlled trials or randomized controlled trials that evaluated the application of KT after mandibular third molar surgery were included. Screening and article selection were carried out by two independent reviewers. The main evaluation indicators were facial swelling, pain, and trismus. All statistical analyses were conducted using Review Manager 5.3 software. Result This analysis included 8 articles. The combined results showed that compared with the control group, the postoperative application of KT significantly reduced pain in the early (early stage mean difference (MD),-2.00; 95% confidence interval (CI),-2.40 to-1.60; P<0.00001) and late (late stage MD,-1.18; 95% CI,-2.26 to-0.11; P=0.03) postoperative periods and, thus, reduced the intake of painkillers. KT also reduced facial swelling in the early and late postoperative periods (early stage standardized mean difference (SMD),-1.34; 95% CI,-1.99 to-0.68; P<0.0001; late stage SMD,-0.31; 95% CI,-0.51 to-0.11; P=0.002). In addition, the postoperative application of KT improved restricted mouth opening in the early and late postoperative periods (early stage MD,-5.03 mm; 95% CI,-6.32 to-3.74 mm; P<0.00001; late stage MD,-3.42 mm; 95% CI,-5.31 to-1.52 mm; P=0.0004). Conclusion KT can significantly reduce postoperative pain, swelling, and trismus after impacted mandibular tooth extraction. Additional high-quality and rigorously designed randomized controlled trials should be conducted to verify these conclusions. Clinical relevance KT is a low-cost, simple, effective nondrug therapy for the postoperative management of mandibular third molar extraction and has broad prospects for clinical application.

Automated summary

The study found that using KT after mandibular third molar surgery can significantly reduce pain, swelling, and trismus, making it a promising low-cost, simple, and effective postoperative management option. Additional high-quality randomized controlled trials are recommended to further verify these conclusions.